Author Archives: Stefan Lomas

It was just over a two-hour flight from Calama back to Santiago. Rachel had been struggling with a bit of altitude sickness, so although we both really enjoyed the Atacama, it was good to be back at sea level. I had arranged a transfer from the airport to take us to our next destination, aContinue reading “Pelicans, Murals, and the Pacific Coast”

It was an early start for us, with our guide picking us up at 6:30am. The desert is cold in the morning. Our first stop, about an hour from San Pedro, was a small village where breakfast had been prepared. After a short stop, we headed off to our first national park and the ChaxaContinue reading “Salt Lakes and Fire Mountains”

Our first move in Santiago wasn’t one of our easiest. We just couldn’t seem to decide where to go next. We’d only booked our initial week’s stay in the city, which has become our usual approach and has mostly worked well, but in Chile it proved more challenging. All the places we wanted to visitContinue reading “Desert Days & Celestial Nights – The Atacama”

The flight left Heathrow a little later than our 10pm scheduled departure, but we quickly made ourselves comfortable. After a light dinner, which was very good, we settled in. We both tend not to eat too much when we fly, especially on long-haul, but we’d had a busy week beforehand and were both pretty tired.Continue reading “Santiago – Chile”

Having organised the trip before Christmas, the time had come for me to head to Gatwick. With no one around to drop me at the train station, I jumped in a cab for the short ride. Rachel had arranged her own adventure at the same time, heading to Iceland with Mum, complete with a listContinue reading “Crans-Montana revisited”

We’ve busied ourselves dressing the house for Christmas. I’ll be honest, I’ve always leaned more towards the Christmas humbug side of things, but less so as I get older. When the sparkly bits come to life at night and my mother turns into an excited child, it makes it all worth it. Peterborough Cathedral wasContinue reading “Christmas & New Year”

We’ve really enjoyed wandering through the historical part of town. I really like the traditional Andalusian architecture, with narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed buildings, winding their way through the old city before spilling into the busier main thoroughfares. About a ten-minute walk from us is the rather excellent “Virgen” coffee shop, which has become ourContinue reading “A Final Bow in Andalucía”

After three hours on the train and a short walk from the station, we arrived at our final resting place for this leg of the trip. It’s in a great location, right on the edge of the historical quarter and surprisingly quiet. We had arrived a day early to get the lay of the landContinue reading “Echoes in Courtyards and Cathedrals”

We’ve moved apartments, which has probably been one of our easiest moves since we started travelling. Our small place is just a stone’s throw from our last, along the promenade, which means we’ve also managed to hold onto our little daily routine for a bit longer. We’re now on the eleventh (and top) floor, withContinue reading “Winds, Roads, & Old friends”

We set off in the direction of Granada at about 8.30 a.m., as we had an 11 a.m. slot to view the palace. Visitor numbers are strictly controlled, and if you are even a minute late, you are turned away. We had booked the slot a couple of weeks earlier, and even then there wereContinue reading “The Alhambra”